Strength Across Schools Partnership to Teach Empowering Computational Thinking and Computer Science in Middle School English Language Arts Classrooms

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

The Strength Across Schools Research-to-Practice Partnership (RPP), expanding an existing CS for All Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) team of University of Pittsburgh, school districts, and regional educational organizations, is creating innovative curricula, instructional practices, and related teacher professional development for integrating computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) instruction into middle school English Language Arts (ELA). Middle school is a critical time for CT/CS development because students, particularly girls and Black and Latinx students, begin to opt out of STEM experiences by grade five, especially in CS education. Also, lack of funding, teacher shortages, and access to teacher professional development create challenges to schools for offering CT/CS instruction. Integrating CT/CS into other subject areas provides one solution to expanding CS instruction in under-resourced middle schools. Although ELA may not be viewed as the most likely subject for CS integration, literacy scholars have increasingly called for integrating CT/CS into ELA instruction in various ways. This project builds upon this research to collaboratively develop and iteratively refine a justice-focused (Smythe, 2011) curriculum that empowers students and integrates CT/CS and ELA learning goals within meaningful contexts. The project instructional materials will be developed with two objectives: (a) to build on and value students' diverse perspectives, interests, and identities and (b) to examine the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of CT/CS. The partnership also focuses on developing multiple forms of ELA teacher support for the classroom implementation of the CT/CS curriculum, including a regional Professional Learning Network of districts and teachers in Western Pennsylvania to provide ongoing professional development and classroom-based teacher supports. The project will investigate how the Professional Learning Network and classroom supports help ELA teachers enact the CT/CS curriculum successfully and how the curriculum shapes the CT/CS knowledge, computational identities, and digital empowerment of students historically underrepresented in CS. This project investigates how CT and CS can be integrated into middle school ELA, the supports ELA teachers need to enact this instruction, and how this instruction shapes the CT/CS knowledge, computational identities, and digital empowerment of students historically underrepresented in CS. As an RPP, the investigation is conducted collaboratively with participating teachers and school districts. Both qualitative and quantitative data measure the impact of the CT/CS professional development on ELA teachers' integration of CT/CS in their classrooms and how justice-focused CT/CS curriculum shapes female, Black and Latinx students' CT/CS knowledge, computational identities and digital empowerment. Data analysis formatively contributes to iterative professional development and curriculum revisions and also contributes to scholarship in several ways. First, it investigates how various teacher instructional supports enhance the implementation of justice-focused CT/CS in middle school ELA classrooms. Second, the project informs culturally responsive approaches to CT/CS instruction, aiming to increase female, Black, and Latinx students' CS identity, engagement, and knowledge/skills. Third, it contributes to knowledge on making CS more inviting and accessible to underrepresented students. Finally, the project advances knowledge of strategies for forming regional and diverse research-practice partnerships, particularly in terms of substantial scaling. The project's ultimate goal is to provide research-based strategies for supporting literacy educators and curriculum developers across the US to integrate CT/CS into preK-12 ELA classes. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.